Andre Villas-Boas plays down fatigue factor as jaded Spurs suffer

Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed the impact of player fatigue during the run-in but managing his squad will be crucial in Tottenham’s bid for Champions League qualification.

While yesterday’s defeat was not a terminal blow to Spurs’ top-four ambitions, they looked tired following their extra-time exertions at Inter Milan on Thursday.

Villas-Boas, who started with five of the team who played 120 minutes in San Siro — Jan Vertonghen, Scott Parker, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Mousa Dembele and Emmanuel Adebayor — denies his desire to compete at home and abroad is catching up with his players.

But the Spurs manager will be concerned with a flat performance in the Premier League less than 72 hours after their alarming 4-1 Europa League defeat.

Confidence and momentum built up over Spurs’ 12-match unbeaten League run has all but evaporated and a nervous glance at the table sees Chelsea now above them and Arsenal just four points behind with a game in hand.

It would be wrong to assume that Spurs have run out of steam as they did towards the end of last season, when they allowed Arsenal to leapfrog them into third. But they must use the upcoming international break to regroup and recover following a testing week that started with a self-inflicted 3-2 defeat at Liverpool.

Aaron Lennon and Michael Dawson have withdrawn from the England squad for World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro through injury but both could return for Spurs’ next game, at Swansea on March 30.

Parker has started the last 11 games and the 32-year-old, who is unlikely to start both England games, will benefit from a breather.

The same can be said of midfield partner Dembele, who has started 21 of the last 25 since returning from a month-long absence with a hip injury last November.

Parker and Dembele look jaded and Villas-Boas’s decision not to sign a central midfielder following Sandro’s season-ending injury in January might prove costly, especially given his reluctance to play Lewis Holtby through the middle.

Sigurdsson hinted that European exertions might have played their part in yesterday’s lacklustre display. “I do not want to make any excuses but obviously the 120 minutes played a bit of a part and obviously the travelling,” said the Iceland international, who played 90 minutes yesterday despite his extra-time exploits at Inter.

“But apart from that we could have played better. It could be a factor but we have got to make sure we are fresh and ready for the next fixture.”

Tottenham’s form dipped at about this time last season and they failed to win a League game in March under Harry Redknapp. Arsenal were 10 points behind at one stage before overhauling them in the final few weeks.

Chelsea’s Champions League triumph demoted Spurs to the Europa League and they still bear the scars of that late collapse. Villas-Boas will have to manage his squad sensibly to ensure a similar wobble is avoided this year.

The Spurs manager said it would be difficult for Arsenal to come out of their “negative spiral” after a 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane earlier this month but the momentum is now with Arsene Wenger’s side. Since then, Arsenal have beaten Bayern Munich and Swansea while Spurs have suffered three successive defeats for the first time since Villas-Boas took over.

“You cannot hide from what has happened in the past at Spurs,” Villas-Boas said. “We just have to make sure that we are able to fight against what was previously written. If we are able to find our form or confidence and win, then we can end the cycle that Spurs normally have. I am confident we will.

“Were the problems linked to the Inter game? I do not think so. We had fresh legs because we have rotated. The effort and commitment was there.

“We could not get the result that we wanted at Liverpool but we had an excellent performance, now the situation has shifted and they [Arsenal] are in with a chance.”

Victory for Fulham moves Martin Jol’s side nine points clear of the drop zone and ends any lingering fears of them being dragged into a relegation scrap.

Jol said after the game that he took no personal satisfaction in winning at White Hart Lane for the first time since his bungled sacking by Spurs in 2007 and he was quick to deflect praise on to his players. Not least Dimitar Berbatov, who swept the ball home from Sascha Riether’s cross shortly after half-time to secure three points and earn himself an extended break over the international period.

“The only thing he wants is a day off if he scores,” said Jol. “I promised him a day off and he scored! He is a remarkable boy. Sometimes he looks like he is sulking and his body language is not great but it is not against his team-mates. He is disappointed in himself sometimes.”

Fulham move back into the top 10 but the long-term winners of this London derby might be Chelsea and Arsenal.